Tag Archives: Star Trek: Picard

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Ok I’m going to do it. New drinking game (in no particular order):

Personal anti-wishlist aka do NOT want predictions for Picard Season 3 finale

  • Screentime is limited. Raffi is either not seen or only in background shots. It’s explained she is trying to sabotage the Titan’s engines or something if she is mentioned at all. Seven and Raffi are barely (if at all) on screen together and their relationship is never mentioned.
  • Seven is shown carting Shaw to sickbay. She uses her Borg nanites (hello Voyager callback) to help bring him back to life. This doesn’t make him a Borg it is just temporary. Shaw is not grateful and chews her out for it. Says she isn’t StarFleet. Seven agrees and resigns.
  • There is no Saffi spin-off, no Fenris Rangers. Raffi is never seen again. Seven is either never seen again or…
  • Shaw gets his own show spin-off. Possibly Seven guest stars one episode so he can save her life, and show he is magnanimous while still pressing the point that he was right and she was never StarFleet.
  • As part of being magnanimous Shaw pays Seven a compliment. Only it’s something backhanded like “you made really good coffee” and the writers think fans will be happy at the nod to Janeway, and completely overlook the fact that in the 25th century a brilliant woman is reduced to being ‘good at making drinks’.
  • The only assimilated we see get killed/do bad things are aliens, POC or both.
  • At the end Geordi is seen hugging his two crying girls and Sydney apologises to him and goes home with him. As part of the end montage she is shown handing him tools to fix the battle damage on the Enterprise-D because fuck that she had dreams of her own to be a pilot I guess.
  • To gain an advantage in battle Picard uses the “Picard manoeuvre”. Bonus points if it doesn’t make sense as to how it would help.
  • Even though Vulcan, Klingons etc. have a lot of their own ships nobody can/will help them against the assimilated fleet. Only the Enterprise is fighting the good fight. Sort of like an oblique reference to the hopefulness regarding the Federation shown in Prodigy. That was where StarFleet ships were all taken over by an external force and made to attack each other…. wait a minute *deep sigh* but anyway nobody helps because fuck that stupid kid show right? 😔
  • Somebody very gravely says “we are on our own”. Despite being decades older, and the odds being 50-1, the Enterprise is so special it manages to hold it’s own in battle long enough for Jack and Picard to save the day.
  • Even though he is assimilated and it should be impossible Jack is ‘special’ and Picard manages to reach him through his special Dad bond (fuck Beverley as the mother who raised him I guess), and Jack manages to sever the connection/put them to sleep/stop all the StarFleet assimilated.
  • In a parallel to Nemesis the Borg Queen self-destructs. Picard tells Data to get Jack off the ship and he has to stay behind. They both could have escaped given Picard spent a minute monologuing about friendship and family but he has to sacrifice himself like Data did in reverse.
  • As the unassimilated were murdered the changelings were all killed. Why/how they teamed up with the Borg, what happened to the people they impersonated etc. is never explained. They are dead, the situation is tied up with a bow. And this “they are all dead” is only an off-hand mention in a single sentence.
  • Despite name-dropping her Janeway neither appears nor is mentioned unless she comes in for a cameo at the end to lead the memorial/give Jack his medal/commission etc.
  • Hundreds were killed but the big memorial service only focuses on Picard and how he is the most legendary of all StarFleet heroes.
  • Jack is given command/made Captain of the new Enterprise even though it’s the flagship, he never went to the academy and has no experience. This is possibly done at said memorial service.
  • Inexplicably Worf is security, Beverley CMO, Deanna counsellor and Riker as first officer. This is seen with “Captain on the bridge” when Jack walks in. They all look very proud. 
  • Kestra is never mentioned. Who is looking after her, where she is etc. is never explained.
  • The last line reveals Jack has taken the name Picard so he is “Captain Picard” like his dad and he says the legendary ‘Engage’.

I really hope I don’t reblog this next Friday and cross a lot off. I just really hate how damn plausible I think this list is 😭 this is a do NOT want list universe. Don’t get confused now. This is like worst case scenario for where they could go (in my opinion). So let’s really hope not. Unless of course I have had a failure of imagination and it is even worse somehow 😬

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I joked about the lighting and how in recreating the Enterprise set that had blown so much of the budget they couldn’t afford lightbulbs.

For real though it just clicked for me that I think they were trying for a cheap trick of contrast. It’s not the more modern set design (Strange New Worlds is modern and very well lit), it’s that they wanted the old set to look bright and warm to help provoke the warm fuzzy feelings. So new set is lit in cold colours (barely), old set is lit in warm colours (a lot).

Cheap trick.

And they went way too far with it.

I think I have said this about relative power levels of characters before. If you want your hero to shine, build them up, don’t make everyone else stupid/inept so they can win. It doesn’t feel good.

The Enterprise return would have been ‘a moment’ regardless. Have more faith in the old girl.

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Oh boy. Ok episode 9 where do I start?

Spoiler alert as always.

Ok let’s start with the positive.

Data’s line and delivery of “I hope we die quickly” was hilarious.

I loved how Seven was the first to fight back and get a phaser with an elbow to the head.

Raffi going “not a chance” and striding forward shooting because she wouldn’t leave Seven was totally badass, and warmed my shipper heart.

As for everything else…

Oh boy.

Continue reading →

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I just posted this in my favourite Trek discord but I am going to post my ramble here as well for posterity 🙂

I still haven’t seen this weeks episode of Picard. Give me a couple of hours.

BUT I have seen some gifsets and it appears the era appropriate Enterprise returns. Between that and the ready room scene I am half convinced that getting those fanservice shots of “look they are back together just how they were!!!” is the only point of the season and whatever crap they had to fling at the wall to get those shots didn’t matter to them.

Anyway I would like to propose an alternate season 3 pitch that would achieve those exact same shots.

It’s Frontier Day. Between the synth ban reversal (and now being a synth! The first human to synth?), and of course the new Borg showing up/narrow averting the Galaxy catastrophe of the season 2 finale Picard’s star is on the rise again. He is enjoying a resurgence in reputation. Therefore it’s only natural, especially with Geordi in charge of the museum that as a special show (for the kids maybe as some kind of living history?) they put the Enterprise-D crew back together. It is supposed to be a performance. Perhaps for StarFleet recruitment even. A little reenactment of one of their famous missions.

But then. Something plotty happens like maybe the Borg watching over the new wormhole thing sound the alarm as “something is coming through” duh duh duh. All hands on deck. No time to change ships. Picard isn’t about to sit this out so they warp into action. More plotty stuff like maybe to beat whatever comes through they need to understand it, so to explore/negotiate etc. they go through to learn things.

Anyway the Enterprise-D and crew are on mission. Alone in a strange new part of the Galaxy dealing with this new threat.

So stakes are high check. Have to work as a team check. Everyone is back and on the Enterprise check.

A plot like this would have

a) allowed the characters to express discomfort at having to adopt roles that haven’t been theirs for 30 years. Show how they have grown, but also allow for nostalgia and what remains the same.

b) drawn on previous seasons of Picard, for better continuity

c) who has experience in a Federation unknown part of the Galaxy? Seven from her time on Voyager allowing her to both have her own nostalgia trip, and also have something really concrete to contribute.

d) allowed for some interesting conflicts because if Seven and Raffi had been deployed as the “starfleet officers kinda ‘in charge’ as they are active StarFleet and none of the Enterprise crew really is (they got the gig due to working with Picard so closely before) then with this unexpected adventure what’s the chain of command? What’s the protocols? Especially if said regulations had changed over the years.

e) finally it would break some new ground and give future Trek new plots to explore. Maybe introduce a whole new alien type. It could also do some heartwarming Federation stuff about ruefully acknowledging past mistakes, at the same time as trying to do better and show these new people the best of who the Federation can be

Worf and Raffi could have still teamed up for ‘away missions’ as two of the fittest/most able crew members. I still remember what Riker said about his knees 😂

Riker and Picard still could have butted heads over how to handle stuff. Like I said with the discomfort of having grown away from the roles they are now being forced back into.

Deanna’s abilities could have been vital. I’m sure all of them could have had a chance to shine.

The only kinda question mark as to whether this could have fitted in somehow is Data’s resurrection. I guess perhaps they could have rebuilt him and then ‘unveiled him’ as part of a “look a Federation hero has returned” as a Frontier Day celebration cue Picard’s horror that they are treating Data like a prop not a person, that they had revived him potentially against his wishes, and maybe even allow Data to consider his future and what he wants from his newfound life. Does he still want to be StarFleet/their poster boy synth? Does he want to explore other aspects of life? Will they let him go if that’s what he wants?

I just had another thought. In the above scenario a member of the crew, I am not sure who would be best for it, maybe Beverley? Could be irritated at being dragged back for Picard’s ego boosting grand standing. But then as part of the journey they perhaps say that they wish to be known as more than just “Picard’s CMO/whatever” as they have a life and accomplishments of their own outside the Enterprise. But that really this was harmless PR and that it gave them time with friends, and getting everyone together with all the different schedules is impossible normally, and hey “one last time to save the Galaxy” who can pass that up? 🙂 so there is like conflict but also the syrupy nostalgic love in the end

@Purlturtle

I think Deanna might have fitted into that role – like, maybe Riker was all stoked to go dashing across the stars once more, but hey, my man, you got a home here and a daughter and a wife, whatcha off gallivanting for? Beverly was the head of Starfleet medical for a while – Deanna got that kind of career only in beta canon (novels) IIRC. She could conceivably complain about her achievements being overshadowed by being seen as Picard’s counselor. (Just like on Betazed she’s always only ever seen as her mother’s (halfblood) daughter)

Anyway I think something like this could have ticked the boxes and egotistically I think it’s a better premise than the season 3 we had. So thought experiment time!

If you were a Trek writer how would you have written season three? What direction would you have gone given the parameters of the nostalgia TNG focus?

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Ok so obligatory Friday “haven’t seen Picard yet” buuuut I am also almost practically looking for spoilers at this point because I think it helps soften the blow.

What the actual fuck?

That is all.

Horrified on oh so many levels.

Somebody meme this as I don’t know how to because this writing is on the level of “somehow Palpatine has returned”.

And they got paid for this shit???

I will do a full post later after I watch it tonight.

#borrowing from a mutual by saying it’s not really spoilers just that they spoiled Picard#you are so totally right there#what the actual literal fuck

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Jack is the fanfic OC. That is ‘special’ and the ‘chosen one’ and the one the whole season is about tbh.

I wrote stories like that when I was a kid. It was how I started. I had learned better by the time I was 13. How old is Matalas?

I am not knocking this in fanfic. Fanfic is fanfic. People have fun. I am not being mean. But canon isn’t fanfic. And it is doubly WTF kinda because of the pushing so hard that only nostalgia/the old characters matter. That’s why the new crew got thrown under the bus. And now all the old characters are really just serving the shitty self-insert Han Solo rip-off golden boy. Like they deserve better too.

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Ok Picard episode 8.

I procrastinated on watching it. Actual avoidance. So it’s at that stage /sigh.

Spoiler warning as always.

First let’s focus on the positives.

I am not someone that loves to hate. I am frustrated because I love and I do love Trek. So were there any good moments?

Continue reading →

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I said earlier to a friend IRL that I was watching Picard this evening and would “try not to get too irritated” and they looked at me a bit like ??? and said “I thought you liked Picard?”

I have been ramble ranting about stuff that bugs me, more than I have been praising it, mostly because I genuinely have not been vibing with the writing this season. So it occurred to me that maybe it wasn’t actually clear online either.

I love Star Trek. I love the world and the characters. What I do not love is some of the writing, and where there is missed potential. I ramble rant because I care/love it so much. I’m not somebody that loves to hate. I love to love. I have a genuine appreciation. I am just frustrated. Now this frustration (if it continues) will eventually lead me to lose interest. There is only so much I can take of what I love going in a direction I can’t follow before I peace out. With the season only being 10 episodes and how much love I have for Trek, I will see it through. They are being coy about what comes next but if something follows I would have to think about whether to invest in it. I ramble rant because I care, because I want the show to be better.

I do realise that it’s a “can’t please all people” thing and that what I don’t vibe with could be someone else’s favourite. So I get that I’m not ‘right’ and I shouldn’t say ‘better’ as that is subjective. I guess what I mean is I really want the show to be better for me.

It’s pretty clear that my ‘vision’ as it were, doesn’t align with the writers. That is why I am trying to be diplomatic when I say “don’t vibe with” as opposed to “the writing sucks”. As judging the writing because I don’t like it is… well I can justify my opinion with analysis but as I know from painful experience in English class. The so called ‘classics’ are held up as a pinnacle of excellence and quite a few of those I thought were trash – sorry didn’t vibe with. You can basically find evidence to support any opinion of good/bad storytelling. Some critiques are more accepted/have more weight than others of course… I swear I had a point.

Basically TLDR please don’t take my ramble ranting as I sign of hatred as it’s not. It’s actually a sign of frustrated love. If I had more spoons there would have been so much fix-it fic by now.

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Ok so Episode 7.

Spoilers etc. fair warning.

No Raffi? C’mon why? Ugh!

Actually no in all seriousness it doesn’t make sense. The changelings have a plot re: frontier day and they are running out of time. Rather than focus on the fight they instead are searching for Riker. Like no offence but is that really a priority?

I am especially aghast to be honest because when they enacted the plan and for Vadic off her ship (when they knew Riker was on the shrike as that’s where his code came from) they didn’t send an away team to rescue him? Like did they just forget?

I am sick of this Data/Lore plot as it is sucking up airtime and I can’t see how it’s relevant. When Geordi was explaining again about the personality partitions, I was just like “this is taking too long, unless this becomes super important” but it feels like it was just there so Lore could take the ship which was mega convenient for the bad guys and thus stupid. Vadic having a contingency which explained why they were so confident – that made sense. Winning through luck because Lore had a moment of fun? That was not foreseeable. I repeat what I said last week. Data has died twice, let him go. I love the character don’t get me wrong but enough is enough.

Tuvok guest appearance (well as a changeling) was unexpected! I didn’t know any Voyager alums were appearing so that was cool. I liked how Seven tricked him into revealing he wasn’t Tuvok but otherwise… “they are not taking the bridge” and then 2 seconds later… 🤦‍♂️

A pet peeve of mine is when a character is brilliant, and the writers dumb them down, so other characters can also look good/the villain can win etc. It is lazy storytelling to build a character up at the expense of another. I see it all the time and ugh it is aggravating. Seven is so much better than this. Not just Seven either. I get it that the ‘heroes’ are who we are following but it is just not realistic that they are the only ones who know about the changelings and are doing something. They name dropped Janeway again and if she isn’t replaced with a changeling and thus in a cage masterminding an escape, I am going to be pissed if she doesn’t play a role in the ‘final battle’ so to speak. She doesn’t have to appear but if there isn’t a mention of her being badass well… jumping and sharks come to mind.

StarFleet making these changelings like Frankenstein’s monster doesn’t shock me. I have a always seen the darker side. The ideals of the institution are admirable but it’s made up of people, and people aren’t perfect. They get scared or selfish and they make choices. Beverley somehow forgetting she iced two invaders in the opening episode with her “I am considering not following do no harm oath” was a bit like ship has sailed on that one. Honestly though the whole “wrestling with the morality” plot point would be really good if they spent more than 2 seconds on it. They aren’t spending their limited time budget wisely. Some episodes feel like filler as they didn’t have enough plot to stretch, others are just too rushed and not spending enough time on the points that matter.

So Picard’s brain issue, which Jack inherited, isn’t actually that and Jack is now telepathic. Random evolution seems unlikely but all I can think is Q did something given his fondness for Picard. Although Vadic saying “he was never really yours” to Beverley is giving me Anakin vibes. Like is Jack actually Picard’s son or somehow created to enhance whatever is going on with him? As a Stargate fan I snigger about ATA gene but honestly I have no idea. How have people not noticed the red eyes thing though?

I am reasonably sure that they are wrong that they want Jack’s blood to animate Picard’s body. But given the deadline of Frontier Day… I just don’t know and there are what three episodes left? The pacing is worrying. The cast too big to do anyone justice. I really have no clue why they wrote Rios out just to being in Shaw. I had thought they wrote out the new characters to bring back the old TNG crowd, but then they invented more characters? Logic not found.

Honestly I am at the stage where I just want to know what the canon is so I can fix it more accurately in my head. 

Next week really needs more Raffi. Somehow they will have to retake the Titan. Maybe Raffi saves the day? I know, never happening but I can dream. I missed her this week 🙁

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People can like whomever they like obviously. I wish to be respectful but I am mystified.

I just saw a poll for “favourite Picard-origin character” so it had the whole list Elnor, Raffi, Jurati, Rios, Soji etc. and then season 3 characters like Sidney LaForge and Captain Shaw.

You want to know who was winning? Captain Shaw.

Ok I hate the dude so I am biased. But I do not get what is interesting about him at all. Even leaving aside his abuse of Seven, he’s basically a walking cliche. The AH veteran goes back to what the noir classics? The investigator with whiskey in the drawer in place of a personality.

Now don’t get me wrong I love tropes. I am not knocking them but there needs to be the sizzle. The point of connection. The thing that makes it rise above the scribbled cliche and clearly some people are feeling that. I am just totally mystified because I am absolutely not. I would love to understand. I like to understand things. I do not understand this.

What am I missing that makes Captain Shaw a character to love?

ussjellyfish said:  He’s a white guy. With trauma! Fandom loves…. *Sobs quietly*

purlturtle said:  I was thinking the exact same thing. I hope the tide yet turns against him in the poll. 

galactic-pirates said:  @purlturtle there is a… well I don’t wish to be judgemental as trying to be respectful but from my POV ‘disturbing’ amount of social media push for Captain Shaw to helm a Titan show of his own. Apparently Matalas has replied saying “what a fantastic idea” and just drek. So I don’t think it’s going away sadly. 

purlturtle said:  @galactic-pirates ugh. Ugh ugh ugh. Ugh. Please god no. 

galactic-pirates said:  @purlturtle my sentiments exactly /sigh